2) The ceremony will cost less than the magical £27million opener - London 2012 have to split £53million between it and the Paralympic opening and closing ceremonies. But it will still be a lavish affair, featuring 4,100 performers, including 3,500 volunteers and 380 schoolchildren from the six Olympic host boroughs. Some 20 household-name British musicians will appear, performing 30 pieces of famous British music.

8) Music director David Arnold - famed for his Bond and Sherlock scores and his very funny @DavidGArnold Twitter account - says the Closing Ceremony will be "the greatest after-party in the world. If the Opening Ceremony was the wedding, then we’re the wedding reception. We’re the one where everyone gets out of their cars at the village hall, goes 'Wasn’t that lovely, everyone looked great, let’s put on Blame It On the Boogie and have a laugh."

9) In addition to the parade of British musical greats, there will also be a march of over 10,000 athletes, speeches from The Queen and Boris Johnson and a flag ceremony incorporating Olympic birthplace Greece, 2012 host Britain and 2016 host Brazil. Jessie J is being tipped to sing the national anthem. And you know there will be some place for David Beckham, who kicked a ball off a London bus roof during the Beijing closing ceremony four long years ago...

King of Beijing: David Beckham doing his thing on top of a bus in 2008 (Image: Andy Stenning)

10) The ceremony will end with Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympics Committee, declaring the Games closed before the Olympic flame is extinguished. Unlike predecessor Juan Antonio Samaranch, Rogge does not make a point of declaring this to have been "the best Games ever", so don't feel slighted when it doesn't happen.